Control apparatus



Oct. 6, 1942- CARTER ET AL I 2,297,872

CONTROL APPARATUS Filed April 9, 1940 INVENTORS BY 66 MK-M m ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 6, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE common APPARATUS Franklyn Y. c rter, WillianYE. Cowley, endear-'- nest J. Dillman, Detroit, Mich, assignors to Detroit Lubricator Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application April 9, 1940, Serial no; cause" (c1. 137-.-153) 6 Claims.

Our invention relates generally to control apparatus and more particularly to valve means for controlling the flow of a refrigerant medium,

One object of the invention is to provide means for automatically regulating the flow of refrigerant in a refrigerating apparatus. I

A further object is to provide means for preventing flow of refrigerant by the automatic means. 7

A further object is to provide automatic means to operate the flow preventing means.

The invention consists in the improved construction and combination of parts, to be more fully described hereinafter and the novelty of which will be particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, to be taken as a part of this specification, there is fully and clearly illustrated a preferred embodiment'ofour' invention, in which drawing- I Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a control between the flange portion l3 and the upper shoulder I2". Th flange Portion II has a diameter somewhat-smaller than the inside diam eter of the carrier'member I2 into which it fits is in its position furthest awayrrom'port lo, the

valve member I2 may be moved toits position in engagement-withtheportlll; r

system showing the control apparatus incentral vertical cross-section;

Fig. 2 is a view substantially along the line.

2-2 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 3 is a partial diagrammatic view showing the modified form of the control apparatus in central vertical cross-section.

Referring to the drawing by characters of reference, the numeral I designates generally a casing member having an inlet 2, an outlet 3 and a vertically extending, longitudinal passageway 4. The inlet 2 opens into an annular chamber 5 in which is placed a strainer 6 through which the fluid passes as it flows from the chamber 5 into a passageway 1 and then into the passageway 4. The passageway 4 opens downwardly into a valve chamber 8 and has'screwthreaded thereinto a seat member 9 having a valve port I0. From th chamber 8 the fluid flows through the outlet 3. The chamber 8 has an open lower end which opens through a lower end II of the casing member I. A hollow, cylindrical valve carrier member I2 fits within and is guided within the chamber 8 and has a pair of shoulders I2, I2 spaced one above the other and adjacent the upper end of the carrier member I2. A valve member I3 having an annular flange portion l3 positioned between the shoulders I2 I2 is cooperable with the port In to control flow of fluid thercthrough. The flange portion I3 is held against the lower shoulder I2 by means of a heli cal coil spring I3 which i concentric with the valve member I3 and is held under compression The valve member .I3 is moved in an ,opening I direction I .by {means of a temperature-1 sensitive .power element having a pulh element I5 and a movable diaphragm wallimember' IBQA plurality of thrust pins ll transfer movement from the diaphragm member lB -to the valve car-rier member I2'andiact to oppose closing movement of the valve carrie'rfme'mb'er' I2 due to the eiipand- I ingforce of a'helical coil compression spring I8 which is under compression between a shoulder I9-o'f the member Itan'd a flange 20 extending outwardly, from the lip portion ofaninverted cuplike adjustable abutment member 2|. A tubular member 22 has one open end thereof secured to the end II as by means of bolts 23 (only one of which is shown) and is positioned with its hollow interior aligned with the chamber 8. A movable cylindrical abutmentmember 24 extendinglongitudinally of the member 22 has at'its lower'e'nd portion a peripheral outwardly extending flange screw-threaded to receive the internal threaded portion of the cup-shaped member 2|. The member 22 has a hollow, radially, outwardly extendin boss 21 in which is journaled an adjustment means 28 having aspur gear portion 29, which portion cooperates with a toothed or gear portion of the flange 25 for rotation of the-member 24 so that the member 2|, which is held against rotation as will be hereinafter described,.is'vertically reciprocated to adjust the force exerted by the spring I8, and which adiustmentacts in like manner to the prior art superheat adjustment for thermostatic expansion valves. Suitable packing material is held within the boss 21 and tightly against the means28 by, a packing gland nut 30 to prevent leakage "of fluidfroin' thinterior of the member 22. The'boss'2l is externally threadedfor reception of a cap member 3| which is screw-threaded thereto aiter adjustmena to form inserted intermediate the end wall of the boss 21 and the cap member (ii if desired.

The transverse wall 26 has-a central aperture therethrough in which is secured in a suitable manner, as by solder, the lower end portion of a hollow tubular member 32 which extends upward from the wall 26 and into the chamber 8. The outside periphery of the member 32 is preferably hexagonal incross-section and fits within the inside diameter of the member 24 similarly to a hexagon within a circumscribed circle. The tubular member 32 serves as an axle about which the member 24 rotates. The tubular member 32 also extends through a central hexagonal aperture in the transverse wall portion of the inverted cuplike member 2! and acts to guide and prevent rotation of the member 2 i.

Substantially fitting and reciprocal within the member 32 is a rod or thrust member 33 which has its upper end portion within the chamber 8 and its lower end portion within a chamber 34 formed in the 'lower end portion of the hollow member 22 by the transverse wall 26. The upper end portion of the rod 33 has a head portion 33* which is operable to engage the lower end of, and to force the valve member it against the force of the spring i3 so that member 53 engages the seatmember 9 to stop flow of fluid through the valve port iii even though the carrier member i2 may be moved downward to valve open position.

An annular member is secured in fluid-tight relationship to the lower surface of wall it and has a pair of downwardly extending concentric flange portions iii, 52. The upper ends of a pair of concentric bellows members 53, 5d are secured respectively to the portions bi, 52, and the other or downward end of the bellows members 53, 55 are secured to theinner and outer peripheral portions respectively of a lower movable annular plate member 55. ,The plate member 55 is sealed in fluid-tight relationship to a disk-like abutment member 56 which is carried by, and sealed in fluid-tight relationship to, the lower end portion oi the thrust rod 33. The lower external end portion of. housing member 22 is threaded so that a cap member Eli may be securely afiixed thereto to close the lower open end of chamber 3 The cap member 5! has an internal. shoulder against which a gasket 53 is positioned, and

which gasketis held intermediate the lower end wall of the member 22 and the shoulder of the cap member 5' to prevent flow of fluid from the chamber 35. The bellows 53 and abutment member 56, together with the annular members 59, 55 act as a seal to prevent the fluid which flows between the rod 33 and member 32'; from escaping to atmosphere.

The bellows members 53, 5t and annular members Ell, cooperate to form an expansible-contractiblechamber 59 which acts, upon expansion, to move the abutment member tilt and attached rod 33 downward against the force of a helical coil springiifi which is positioned and held under compression between the abutment member Sid and cap member N. The spring till is held in position by a pair of circular raised portions of the members 56, 5? which substantially fit the inside diameter of the spring 66 and extend within the spring tit. Movement of the rod 33 downward moves the head portion 33 out of engagement with the valve member is to allow automatic movement of the valve member it under control of the diaphragm it and spring it in like manner to the usual prior art thermostatic expansion valves.

The pressure within the chamber 59 is controlled by a heating element iii which may be a resistance unit in good thermal relationship with a bulb 62. The bulb s2 is communicatively connected to the chamber 59 by a capillary tube 83 and the chamber 59, bulb tit and tube 63 form a sealed interconnected system 63. The systerm 63 may contain a quantity of temperature sensitive, volatile fluid or the system could be completely filled with a liquid having a substantial change in volume with change in temperature so that the pressure withinthe system 63 is hydraulic rather than the pressure of the volatilized vapor. The bulb 62 might be omitted and the tube 63 connected to any suitable source of pressure. A transformer 6 3 has a primary coil 65 which is connected to a source of electrical energy and a secondary coil 66. One terminal of the secondary coil 66 is directly connected by means of a lead wire 66* to one end 61 of the resistance ti and the other terminal of the coil 66 is connected by means of a lead wire 61 to a contact 68 or" a room temperature sensitive switch, generally designated 69, and which may be any suitable approved commercial thermo' static instrument which acts to open an electrical circuit upon a predetermined low temperature of the temperature sensitive blade. The switch 69 might also be a manually operated switch. The switch 69 in this instance is shown as having a bimetallic blade it which carries a movable contact ll cooperable with the contact 68 for controlling an electric circuit. The contact Ii is electrically connected through the blade it and a lead wire it? to the other end 13 of the resistance iii. Upon closure of the switch 6% the heater 6i acts to volatilize a portion of the liquid in the bulb 82 and to force the liquid into the chamber 59, at an increased pressure, to move the abutment member 56 downward to allow the valve member it to function automatically under the influence of diaphragm l6 and spring it.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: The inlet 2 is connected to a source of liquid refrigerant supply, the outlet 3 is connected to the inlet of a refrigerant evaporator, and the bulb it is attached in heat exchange relation to the evaporator outlet. When the temperature in the space cooled by the evaporator is warm, the blade id of the switch 69, which is positioned within the cooled space, is in closed circuit position and the heater 6i will have been energized to heat the volatile fluid within the bulb 62. The pressure within chamber 59 therefore will have increased to move the rod 33 downward to allow for movement of the valve member it under the influence of diaphragm i8 and spring it so that refrigerant is supplied to the evaporator to maintain it substantially completely flooded without frost back in the manner, well known to those skilled in the art, of the prior art thermostatic expansion valves. When the temperature within the cooled space de creases to a predetermined low temperature, the blade it will part the contacts 88, H to deenergize heater 6i, and the bulb 62 and heater ti will cool thereby reducing the pressure within the chamber Eli. Upon a predetermined low pressure being reached within chamber 59, the spring tit will move the thrust rod 33 upward and the head portion 33 into engagement with the valve member is to hold the valve member l3 against its port ID to prevent further flow of refrigerant to the evaporator. Upon a predetermined high temperature being reached within the cooled space, the blade I will close contacts 58, II to energize the heater 5| to raise the tem- The apparatus is particularly adapted for use in installations known to the art as multiple installations where the separate cooled spaces are to be maintained at different temperatures, or where due to the uneven heat loads in the refrigerated spaces the amount of relative refrigeration between the spaces is not constant. In the modification shown in Fig. 3, a bleed hole has been made through the member 56 so that the fluid pressure from the-chamber 8 can flow into the interior of the cap member 51 and a l helical coil compression spring 11 has been positioned within th chamber 59. The bulb 62 has been removed so that atmospheric pressure is maintained within chamber 59, through the open end I5 01' the tube 55. With this arrangement of parts, the valve operates to limit the maximum pressure at which the valve member l3 will allow flow of fluid through the port I0. As is well known to those skilled in the art, any desired maximum operating pressure may be obtained by using the correct ratio of spring forces. In the event the desired maximum operating pressure is sub-atmospheric, the spring 11 could be dispensed with as is also well known to the prior art. When the pressure within the cap member 51 is high, the pressure will act against th annular member 55 to contract the chamber 59 and asthe pressure decreases to the predetermined high or maximum operating pressure, the pressure within the chamber 59 and the force of the spring therein, if the maximum pressure is greater than atmospheric pressure, will move the member 56 downward and the portion 33 out of engagement with the valve member l3. Other applications of the apparatus will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

.It may now b seen that this invention provides a single apparatus for use in refrigerating systems by which it is possible to regulate the flow of refrigerant to, and to maintain, an evaporator substantially completely flooded with refrigerant and to also provide in the same unitv a means for preventing the flow of refrigerant irrespective of the evaporator condition.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a device of the character described, a first casing having a passageway therethrough with a valve port, ,valve means cooperable with said port to control flow of fluid through said passageway, said casing having anopening therethrough leading to said port, a second casing secured to said first casing and closing said opening, an abutment member having an aperture therethrough, a tubular member carried by said second casing and extending toward said port and through said aperture to provide a guide means for said abutment member, resilient means interposed between said abutment member and said valve means, means positioned by said tu- "bular member and operable to adjustably position said abutment member for adjusting the force exerted by said resilient means, a thrust member extending through and guided for reciprocal movement by said tubular member and.

having a portion engageable with said valve means, and power means carried by said second casing andacting to move said thrust member into-engagement with and to move said valve -means toward a flow restricting position.

2. In a device of the character described, a firstcasing having a passageway therethrough with a valve port, valve means cooperable with said port to control flow of fluid through said passageway, said casing having an opening there through leading to said port, a second casing se-,

cured to said first casing and closing said opening and having an abutment, an abutment memher having an aperture therethrough, a, tubular member carried by said second casing abutment j .and extending toward said port and, through said aperture to provide a guide means for said abutment member, resilient means interposed between said abutment member and' said valve means, means positioned by said tubular member and abutting against saidsecond casing abutf ment for positioning said abutment member to adjust the force exerted by said resilient means, a thrust member extending through and guided for reciprocal movement by said tubular member and having a portion engageable with said valve means, and power means carried by said second casing and acting to move saidthrust member, into engagement with and to move said valve.

means toward a flow restricting position,

3. In a device of the character described, a first casing having a passageway therethroughwith a valve port, valve means cooperable with said port to control flow of fluid through said passageway, said casing having an opening therethrough leading to said port, a second casing ,se

cured to said first casing and closing said opening, a wall in said second casing, an abutmentmem her having an aperture therethrough and having a threaded portion, a tubular member carried by said second casing wall and extending toward said port and through said aperture to provide a guide means for said abutment member, resilient means interposed between said abutment member and said valve means, means positioned against said second casin wall and having a threaded portion cooperable with said abutment threaded portion, said positioned means being rotatable about said tubular member to adjustably position said abutment member for regulating the force exerted by said resilient means, a thrust member extending through and guided for reciprocal movement by said tubular member and having a portion engageable with said valve means, and power means carried by said second casing and acting to move said thrust member into engagement with and to move said valve means toward a flow restricting position.

4. In a device of the character described, a first casing having a passageway therethrough with a valve port, valve means cooperable with said port to control flow of fluid through said passageway, said casing having an opening therethrough leading to said port, a second casing secured to said first casing and closing said opening, a transverse wall in said second casing,an

erture to provide a guide means for said abutment member, resilient means interposed between said abutment member and said valve means, means positioned against said transverse wall and having a "threaded portion cooperable with said abutment threaded portion, said positioned means bein rotatable about said tubular member asan axis to adjustably position said t valve-port, valve means cooperable with said port abutment member for regulating the force exerted by said resilient means, means for holding saidabutment member against rotationby Said positioning means, a thrust member extending through said tubular member and having a pony wall and having an aperture through the transtion engageable with said valve means, and power means carried by said second casing and acting through said thrust member to move said valve meanstoward a. flow restricting position.

5. In a device of the character described, a first casing having a passageway therethrough with a'valve port, valve means cooperablewithsaid port to control flow of fluid through said passageway, said casing havinga chamber adjacent said port, an abutment carried by said casing within said chamber and spaced from said port, an abut?- ment member having an aperture therethrough and having a threaded portion, a tubular member having a polygonal external periphery carried by said casing abutment and extending toward said port and through said aperture to providea guide means for said abutment member, resilient means interposed between said abutment member and said valve means, means positioned against said casing abutment and having a threaded portion cooperable with said abutment member threaded portion, said positioned means extending through said tubular member and having a portion engageable with said valve means, and power means carried by said casing abutment on the opposite side thereof from said port and acting through said thrust member to move said valve means in one direction.

6. In a device of the character described, a first casing having a passageway therethrough with a to control flow of fluid through said passageway,

said casing having a transverse wall spaced from said port, an inverted cup-shaped member positioned intermediate said port and said transverse verse wall portion of said cup-shaped member, an outwardly extending flange on said cups shaped member adjacent the open end thereof, a

tubular member carried by said transverse wall I and extending toward said port and through said shaped member, a helical coil compression spring aperture'to provide a guide means for said cupinterposed'between said extending flange and said valve means, a cylindrical member positioned intermediate said valve means and said transverse wall and rotatable about said tubular member and having an end wall abutting said transverse wall, said cylindrical member being externally threaded adjacent its other end, said cup- '-shaped member being internally threaded for threaded reception of the threads of said cylindrical member, means to rotate said cylindrical member to move said cup-shaped member to adjust the force exerted by said spring, a thrust being rotatable about said tubular member as M member extending through said tubular member and having a portion engageable withsaid valve means, and power means carried bysaid second casing and acting through said thrust member to move said valve means toward a flow restricting position. 40"

ery to hold said abutment member against rota tion by said positioning means, a thrust member FRANKLYN Y. CARTER. WILLIAM E. COWLEY. EARNEST J. DILLMAN. 

